WSR-57
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WSR-57 radars were the primary weather surveillance radar used by the United States for over 35 years. The National Weather Service operated a network of this model radar across the country, watching for severe weather.
History
The WSR-57 (Weather Surveillance Radar – 1957) was the first 'modern' weather radar. Initially commissioned at the Miami Hurricane Forecast Center, the WSR-57 was installed in other parts of the Contiguous United States (CONUS). The WSR-57 was the first generation of radars designed expressly for a national warning network.
The WSR-57 was designed in 1957 by Dewey Soltow using World War II technology, using modified versions of those used by United States Navy aircraft. In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System, it was designated AN/FPS-41, as the 41st design of an Army-Navy fixed radar(pulsed) electronic device for searching. It provided only coarse reflectivity data and no velocity data, which made it extremely difficult to predict tornadoes. Weather systems were traced across the radar screen using grease pencils. Forecasters had to manually turn a crank to adjust the radar's scan elevation, and needed considerable skill to judge the intensity of storms based on green blotches on the radar scope.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has pictures of the Charleston, SC, of the 1989 Hurricane Hugo. A WSR-57 dish, located on the roof of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), was blown away by Hurricane Andrew. The NHC report on Hurricane Andrew shows its last radar image, as well as images from nearby WSR-88D radars.
As the network of WSR-57 radars aged, some were replaced with WSR-74S models of similar performance but with better reliability. WSR-57 operators sometimes had to scramble for spare parts no longer manufactured in this country. 128 of the WSR-57 and WSR-74 model radars were spread across the country as the National Weather Service's radar network until the 1990s. The WSR-57 radars were gradually replaced by the Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988, Doppler, WSR-88D, which NOAA named the NEXRAD network. The last WSR-57 radar in the United States was decommissioned on December 2, 1996.
Radar properties
- Operates on a wavelength of 10.3cm (2,900MHz), in the S band, which is also used by today's weather radar network.
- WSR-57 radars had the following statistics: Dish diameter: 12 feet (3.7m) Power output: 410,000 watts Maximum range: 494 to 171nmi (915 to 317km; 568 to 197mi) depending on Pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) used
Radar sites
The 66 former sites of the WSR-57 include the following:
| Site (Site ID) | Commissioned (Date / Chronological Rank) | Decommissioned |
|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL Moved to Coral Gables in 1966. | June 26, 1959 Replaced WSR-1 1st | August 24, 1992 Destroyed by the winds of Hurricane Andrew. |
| Kansas City, MO (MCI) The dome used to reside downtown on the old Federal Building at 911 Walnut Street per SPC history | 1959 2nd Replaced a WSR-1 | November 9, 1995 |
| Charleston, SC (CHS) Serial model 16 | August 12, 1960 About 16th | December 2, 1996 |
| Key West, FL (EYW) Serial model 19 | June 10, 1960 Among first 31 | March 21, 1983 Replaced by a WSR-74S. |
| Wichita, KS | June 22, 1960 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-3 | November 9, 1995 |
| Cincinnati, OH (CVG) (Covington, KY) at the Greater Cincinnati Airport. | June 28, 1960 () About 16th | June 21, 1996 |
| St. Louis, MO | July 18, 1960 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | June 19, 1996 |
| Wilmington, NC (ILM) | Before September 1960 Among first 31 | November 16, 1995 |
| Tampa Bay Area, FL (TPA while at Tampa, TBW when moved to Ruskin, FL) Serial model 20 Moved to Ruskin, FL May 1, 1975 to June 1, 1975 | November 18, 1960 2nd commissioning June 1, 1975 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | May 1, 1975 for move to Ruskin, FL Final decommissioning November 9, 1995 |
| Galveston, TX On top of the Post Office Building | June 11, 1961 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | May 22, 1995 |
| Brownsville, TX | March 1, 1961 About 16th Replaced a WSR-1 | February 28, 1996 |
| Fort Worth, TX 2008-05-13 at theWayback Machine moved to Stephenville, TX (SEP) September 10 to October 28, 1973. | April 5, 1961 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | August 1, 1995 |
| Detroit, MI | September 12, 1961 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-3 | Replaced with a WSR-74S. |
| Amarillo, TX | March 6, 1961 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | September 15, 1994 |
| Norman, OK - Research radar; not part of the national operational network. Originally located at NSSL facility on the University of Oklahoma - Norman's North Research Campus near and later relocated to Woodward, OK in the 1989 as an off-network radar operated to support local emergency management and ARES services in an area of poor network radar coverage. Radar tower and antenna remains in place at | 1962? Probably not counted among first 31 | 1980s |
| Catalina Island, CA (STC?) a.k.a. Santa Catalina - atop Blackjack Mountain. | June 1, 1963 Among first 31 | March 24, 1968 Station closed |
| Little Rock, AR (LIT was the WSR-57 designator. LZK is the WSR-88D and WFO Designation.) | April 19, 1961 Among first 31 | Moved to North Little Rock Airport with NWSFO in 1975. Final decommissioning was June 8, 1995 |
| Sacramento, CA (SAC) | February 2, 1960 Among first 31 | August 24, 1995 |
| Washington, D.C. (IAD) At Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles, VA. | Early 1960s Among first 31 | Early 1980s Replaced by a WSR-74S at Patuxent River, MD. |
| Apalachicola, FL (AQQ) | December 28, 1959 Among first 31 | January 19, 1996 |
| Daytona Beach, FL (DAB) | May 14, 1960 Among first 31 | December 1, 1995 |
| Des Moines, IA (DSM) | May 27, 1960 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | May 7, 1996 |
| Chicago, IL (CHI) Moved to Marseilles, IL (MMO) June 1, 1972 to April 5, 1973 A WR100-5 was leased during the move to Marseilles, IL | January 2, 1963 Second commissioning April 5, 1973 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-3 | 1st decommissioning May 31, 1972 Final decommissioning February 28, 1983 Replaced by a WSR-74S |
| Evansville, IN (EVV) Serial model 8 Was located at | April 28, 1960 Among first 31 | July 12, 1996 |
| Lake Charles, LA (LCH) Serial model 2 | July 10, 1961 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | October 12, 1995 |
| New Orleans, LA (MSY) (SIL at Slidell, LA) Originally on roof of Federal Building in New Orleans before moving to 1120 Old Spanish Trail in Slidell, LA | November 2, 1960 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | August 22, 1995 |
| Minneapolis, MN (MSP) At the airport | September 12, 1961 Among first 31 | April 3, 1996 |
| Missoula, MT (MSO) At Point Six Mountain | November 1, 1961 Among first 31 | December 12, 1995 |
| Atlantic City, NJ (ACY) | August 25, 1961 Among first 31 | September 13, 1995 |
| New York City, NY At 30 Rockefeller Plaza. WSR-57 dome atop 30 Rockefeller | March 6, 1961 Among first 31 | September 26, 1995 |
| Oklahoma City, OK (OKC) Was located at | April 1, 1960 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 | July 25, 1994 |
| Brunswick Naval Air Station, ME (NHZ) | January 1, 1962 (under Navy operations) Transferred to NOAA December 5, 1969 | February 1, 1985 Replaced by a WSR-74S in Portland, ME (PWM). |
| Jackson, MS (JAN) At Jackson International Airport at Thompson Field. | March 7, 1969 Replaced a WSR-3 | June 21, 1995 |
| Limon, CO (LIC) | July 1, 1970 | December 22, 1995 |
| Garden City, KS (GCK) | March 31, 1970 | September 1, 1994 |
| Grand Island, NE (GRI) | June 15, 1971 | January 19, 1996 Has been torn down to make way for a new airport terminal |
| Buffalo, NY (BUF) | October 29, 1961 | February 14, 1996 |
| A note on the chronological ranks - The first 31 were built through the early 1960s, at existing Weather Bureau offices. 14 were along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. 11 were in the Midwest. 3 were inland of the East Coast, and California and Montana had one each on mountaintops. The late 1960s saw 14 more built east of the Rockies. | ||
| Nashville, TN (BNA) (OHX is the WSR-88D) At Old Hickory Lake | November 30, 1970 Replaced a WSR-3 | January 19, 1996 |
| Memphis, TN (MEG is the WSR-88D) At the Millington Naval Air Station (NQA). Moved to Memphis (MEM) | July 1, 1961 (under Navy operations) Operations transferred to NOAA February 1, 1971 | January 6, 1986 Replaced by a WSR-74S. |
| Medford, OR (MFR) | June 30, 1971 | August 30, 1996 |
| Centreville, AL (CKL) | December 10, 1970 2nd commissioning August 10, 1973 | May 27, 1973 heavily damaged by an F4 tornado Final decommissioning June 27, 1995 |
| Pensacola, FL (NPA) | January 19, 1996 | |
| Athens, GA (AHN) | June 21, 1966 | September 13, 1996 |
| Waycross, GA (AYS) | August 6, 1969 | January 19, 1996 |
| Cape Hatteras, NC (HAT) At what is now 47730 Buxton Back Road | January 30, 1968 Replaced a SP-1M | December 6, 1995 |
| Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) (PBZ is the WSR-88D) | August 1, 1966 | May 10, 1995 |
| Huron, SD (HON) | October 30, 1971 | November 4, 1996, now a live dual-polarization for KELO-TV |
| Bristol, TN (TRI) Located at 6247 Panhandle Road atop Holston Mountain near Elizabethton | May 25, 1972 | January 19, 1996 |
| Midland/Odessa, TX (MAF) | June 15, 1972 Replaced a WSR-1 | June 4, 1996 |
| Neenah, WI (EEW) At 3009 Fairview Road | June 28, 1971 | November 2, 1995 |
| Hondo, TX | August 2, 1971 66th and final WSR-57 | March 14, 1996 |
| Monett, MO (UMN) Located at 3258 Farm Road 1090 south of Monett | March 18, 1971 | February 1, 1996 |
| Chatham, MA (CHH) Transfer of operations from the SP-1M at Nantucket, MA | August 9, 1971 | Replaced by a WSR-74S |